Social Distancing!?

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

Last weekend we spent some time with friends visiting the Bird and Flower markets plus a park filled with helpers on a day off playing volleyball.  In a way it is hard to believe that HK at present has low, single digit, covid infection rates considering it is pretty well impossible to social distance.  I think being outside a lot, lots of tracking, and masks, plus robust physical fitness has saved the day in HK.

Note the sign on the fence.

Have a great week everyone !

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

 

Tamar Park

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

I have lived in Hong Kong for ten years, but have never visited Tamar Park.  I finally did so the other day and was impressed with the fact you could picnic in the park and enjoy the views of Hong Kong, Victoria Harbour and Kowloon.  Tamar Park is also the location of  Hong Kong's government buildings.  Like the government itself they are very interesting and unique buildings.  Hong Kong doesn't have a mayor or president.  The head of Hong Kong is called a CEO (Chief Executive Officer).  There is a legislature that has some pretty raucous arguments, and radical displays of anger by government officials, but in the end the drab building next door to it really runs the show.  It is heavily guarded with a fence around it.  There is also a big red star at the top of it.  How symbolic of the cultural divide between the semi autonomous special administrative region and another country close by.

The building on the left, glass covering orange, is  Hong Kong's legislative council complex.  Home of some very entertaining arguments. The amazing building in the middle is the east and west wing of the central governments offices, and behind the trees, just beside it is the office of the CEO.  You are not missing much not seeing it.  It is a pretty bland rectangular box. 

Going underneath the central building.

Some interesting art pieces in the park.

Picnic time still in late October.  25 C.  Perfect.

Exhibition Center by the water.

There behind the trees you can see the CEO's rectangular box.

I was there!  Like a good Hong Konger I was wearing my mask!

The building (bunker) next door to Tamar Park.  

Well there you have it.  Tamar Park is a great symbol of Hong Kong's incredible potential of what a good government can look like.  A place for citizens to gather in peace, proud to be part of a wonderful society.

Have a great week!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk 

 

Selfie Time (Going Maskless)

Hello Dear Great Ones,

Wearing a mask in Hong Kong is not an option.  You go out you have to wear one.  I have been talked to a few times by people reminding me to keep the mask on.  In fact you can actually be fined for not having one.  Yet the following are a few selfies taken with my mask off for a few seconds.  Note it is ready to be put on in a flash if I need to.  I have actually gotten used to wearing a mask.  It is almost like putting on trousers or a shirt.  A required piece of clothing when you venture outside of your home.

Hanging in front of an outdoor pool.  Waiting for the wife.

Waiting for Celia (again) to get her bubble tea.  A fav. HK snack.  Basically lots of sugar.  

An old lady collecting cardboard, which she will then bring to a recycling place and get some money.  Sad that many senior citizens do this to eke out a living.

On the best subway system in the world.  Clean, fast, efficient.  You never wait for more than 3 minutes to get the next one.  It rocks.

This is ladder street.  Just a small portion of the steps I need to walk up to get to my school.  Great for fitness.

By a market.  There are hundreds of these quaint markets in HK, which are fun to see and shop.

Urban jungle.

Pics above and below.  HKers love their dried seafood.  Ah no.... Not for me.

HK has 355 skyscrapers.  Most in the world.  New York? 284. 3rd place.  Shenzhen, just across the border? 298 for 2nd place.  

In the background is ICC.  In 2010 it was the 4th tallest skyscraper in the world.  Now it's 12th.

Social distance in HK.  Ha ha ha ha ha.  Its the masks that keeps covid low in HK!

Banyan tree roots growing on a wall.  Interesting and very unique.

Have a great week.

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk

 

Hike from Tung Chung... to the gate.

Hello My Dear Great Ones,

A few weeks ago Celia and I, along with a friend, ventured out to Tung Chung (famous for the airport) to go on the trail from there to Tai O (famous for stilt houses over water).  It is 12 kilometres long, but its relatively flat,  relatively paved,  relatively easy, and  relatively scenic.  Awesome.  So here is a brief chronicle of our journey:  

We started at the Tung Chung fort.  Nothing special really except the cannons were interesting.

Mountain view of the Ngoi Ping Gondola.

We had to head towards it...

Lantau has some interesting mountains.

Not sure what this is.

Ngoi Ping Gondola.  We walked underneath.  The gondola takes you to the Giant Buddha.

You have to pass through some quaint towns.  With a mask on of course.

Grave site.

A portion of the 55 km bridge to Zuhai, China.

Plant life...

Half way through our trip we encountered some excitement.  

Villagers had set up a gate.  No way to go further.  Going around was impossible due to thick brush.  Ugh!

The villagers shunned us through the fence.  Although someone videoed us after we demanded an explanation.  I even offered some money to get through.  No go...

An unhappy crowd milled around the fence, phoning police and yelling at the villagers.  Apparently the villagers are upset about the gov't land use near their village.

Arguing with the villagers and the police who showed up later was pointless.  The police said it was out of their hands and they did not have the authority to do anything.  Garbage.  Sadly we had to head back....

On the way back we saw an old shed...

A big turtle being walked by its owner...

And laundry hung on a public bike stand area...  Yeah real exciting!

Anyway we did not get to go where we wanted, but nevertheless we had a good hike and time.

Have a great week!

Love adios and ping on!

Dirk